


The Old Thrill

by GuardianSoulBlade



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Dialogue Heavy, F/M, Heavy Angst, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Superheroes, Supervillains, Villain Protagonist, Villains
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-09-20 23:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17032230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuardianSoulBlade/pseuds/GuardianSoulBlade
Summary: Slade had horrible luck with apprentices, so he gave up on the idea. But when she broke into his lair and offered to work for him in exchange for training, he was both surprised and fascinated. Mothers will do things for their sons but this takes the cake.





	1. Bargain

 

Slade Wilson wasn't happy at all. Nothing had gone his way since the Trigon incident, getting his body back was fine and dandy and all, but with Robin and the others being constantly absent because of the Brotherhood of Evil put his plans on hold.

The entire point was to crush the Titans, to grind them into dust under the heel of his steel-toed boots and make the city his. He'd owned this city once, with Terra as his apprentice, he hadn't owned the city for very long as the Titans had survived and defeated him.

Slade would make them pay for defeating him. He would find a way to crush them.

"No apprentices, never again, I work alone!" he said to himself. His unwilling apprentice Robin had resisted him at every turn.

The masked villain heard an almost imperceptible sound. Since he had enhanced senses all of them were heightened. He could barely hear the soft sound of someone breathing.

He moved quickly, unsheathing a sword, he held it out, thrusting it into the darkness. He heard the footsteps stop and one of his robot minions pointed a light at the figure who had been skulking in the darkness.

The woman was in her late 30s, blonde hair, green eyes, she was beautiful.

Slade could almost laugh, so Robin's mother was here to see him, now that was interesting. He'd heard rumors of grave robbers in Gotham City, and he knew Robin was out of town looking into it. He'd left two weeks ago? Slade couldn't remember, either way, he was intrigued.

Looking her up and down, she was what any man would consider attractive, but she wasn't some dumb citizen trying to play hero. If any citizens ever wandered into his lair they usually realized who he was and hauled out of there in a hurry. She wasn't one of them. He had barely started his criminal career when she'd conceived her son.

Logically, she should have gone to the Titans, after all, from what he'd read about Robin's parents they were a normal, happily married couple.

Slade was impressed at her skills, after his last encounter with the Titans when Terra had killed him, he'd made sure to up the security of his hideout with plenty of booby-traps to keep them busy. She hadn't set any of them off, but he knew he shouldn't expect anything less than perfection from Robin's mother; still, he refused to form an emotional attachment to her.

He contemplated killing her, but if Robin found out he did that, what would happen? The idea was tempting, but she'd been dead for seven years and here she was alive and well, that didn't just happen to normal people like her either.

Slade held his blade to her throat. She didn't cry, didn't scream, didn't try to bribe him or beg for her life.

"If you're going to do it, then do it. I've died once already, what's one more?" Mary looked at him sadly. "I always knew I wouldn't have long to live. Between the Court and all the psychos, I'm dead either way."

"The Court? It doesn't matter, you've made the biggest mistake of your life, Grayson."

"How nice, my killer knows who I am, at least make it painless, all right? Falling from 50 feet up was pretty painful."

Slade knew that one flick of his wrist and he'd watch her blood seep out of her throat and onto the dirt. Her life would end right then and there.

He hesitated. She was Mary Grayson. Her death had consequences. Her first death had been the "birth" of Robin, his greatest enemy. What would the consequences of her second "death" be?

He'd seen all sorts of people die at his hand, men, and women. They were always afraid, and they had every right to be.

This woman wasn't a Titan, she wasn't a hero, she was just a civilian, and while he cared little for the civilians, Slade knew that she was different from both sides of the hero and villain spectrum. It made her unpredictable.

He held the sword against her throat. Slade gazed into her green eyes and saw no fear, she might scream from the pain of being stabbed, but she wasn't afraid of him.

Slade found that admirable. He'd always assumed that the reputation of the "fearless" Flying Graysons was an exaggeration for their circus performances.

But here she was, just waiting for him to kill her, utterly fearless, and silent.

"Why don't you scream and beg for your life?" Slade asked.

"Oh, the screaming won't do anything, we're in the middle of nowhere and the begging part, that doesn't work on heartless people like you," Mary told him. "Why haven't you killed me yet? I suppose you want to have your way with me first, is that it?"

"Not really, I know I'm being watched by someone and if I do anything to you, he'll try to kill me," Slade glanced off towards the shadows. A pair of golden yellow eyes met his gaze.

"I didn't know anyone knew he was here," Mary looked at the place where Richard stood.

"You're Raptor, the assassin," Slade observed. "I've heard you're decent. Still, how do you two know each other?"

"Used to steal stuff together, that's all you need to know Slade," Raptor told him.

"Fascinating," Slade sheathed his sword.

"I was unsure of how to get your attention because what I want, is an audience with you," Mary told him simply.

"What do you want? A picture and an autograph?" Slade smirked.

"I've only heard of your reputation, I've heard you're not a really nice guy," Mary told him.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Slade asked.

"I'm offering you a proposition, you don't have to say yes or anything, if you say no, I'll just have to work with Raptor instead," Mary told him. "I also know about your…relationship with my son."

She shouldn't know about that and yet she did. How did she come by this information? And she'd mentioned something called The Court. If there were new players he didn't know about, he wanted information. And he couldn't get information from a corpse.

"And what is this proposition of yours, I'm open to listening," Slade steepled his hands.

"I work for you; I keep hearing you want an apprentice, someone to follow in your footsteps. You don't need an apprentice, you need a partner. Answer me this, why do you think your apprentices hate you?"

"Because they're too set in their moral, righteous ways, your son cares too much about his worthless little friends than the knowledge and power I could give him."

Mary crossed her arms, "You're too shortsighted. My son loves his friends, and he'd do anything for them. Even work for you against his will, he'd break all his oaths and promises to protect them. Since you don't have any friends, that idea is completely foreign to you. My son doesn't want your knowledge and power. What good are knowledge and power if no one wants it? Me? I'll take what you've got, I always have."

"So what is this little bargain of yours, Mrs. Grayson? You do whatever I want if I leave your precious little Robin alone?" Slade smirked.

"Oh no, you'd never give me that, even if I got down on my knees and begged. No, I want you to train me, I have my own reasons, but in exchange, I'll do whatever you say until my training's done."

"That sounds interesting, I'm considering it," Slade was thoughtful. What he couldn't figure out was  _why_  she was offering him this deal. He wasn't a hero. She didn't say a thing about him protecting her. No, if she wanted protection, she would have gone to Titans Tower where her son was. She wanted something else, something her son couldn't or  _wouldn't_  do for her, and that was  _very_  interesting.

"But I have conditions," Mary warned him.

"And those are?" Slade asked.

"No blackmail, no hidden ways to control me, no supervillain tricks, I work for you because I  _want_  to. I don't belong to you; I'm not some apprentice you can mold into your perfect successor. I'll get you what you want, but you don't give me orders."

"I see, so you want to work hard, are you the type to play hard too?" Slade raised an eyebrow.

"Well you  _are_  a man, and that  _would_  cross your mind wouldn't it? I'm not your type," Mary laughed. "I've been in your ex-wife's house. I've seen pictures of the two of you, you have a type."

"You actually broke into my old house, impressive," Slade smiled, she wasn't some amateur, that's for sure.

"Your ex-wife almost shot my head off if makes you feel any better," Mary commented.

"I see, and how did you come by this information?" Slade glanced at Raptor. "Oh I see, you told her about me. That's interesting, I've only recently heard of you."

"So why are you here, Raptor?" Slade asked.

"I'm here to keep an eye on her, you so much as touch her the wrong way, I'll kill you!" Raptor snarled at him.

"What a loyal dog. What on earth did you do for him to warrant this kind of gratitude?" Slade asked, glancing at Mary.

"I stole the medicine to cure his leprosy; that was a long time ago. He's always felt that he owed me," Mary explained.

The realization hit Slade, how Mary could know about Robin's apprenticeship and Terra's betrayal. It also explained how she knew about his little "insurance policies" for said apprentices.

"You've been watching me, haven't you Raptor, no, you've been watching  _him_ , out of some twisted obligation to his mother," Slade gestured between Raptor and Mary.

"Who says it's twisted, I've loved her for years! That boy's like a son to me!"

"That's precious, Raptor, but you didn't keep her from dying now did you?" Slade sneered.

Raptor leaped at him, raising his claw covered hand.

Mary moved to stop him, "Richard, stop! This won't help me!"

Slade was stunned; she named her son after this lunatic? He was learning all sorts of interesting things today!

Like a loyal dog, Raptor stopped his advance. "Fine."

Mary turned back to him, "I know it's wrong for me to ask you for help, considering your relationship with my son, but you're the only one who can help me."

"And just what am I going to be helping you with?"

"You're going to train me and teach me how to kill people," she replied simply.

"You're a fascinating piece of work, Mary Grayson, I'll accept your offer, but I require a payment."

She threw something at him and he caught it. She continued to surprise him, "This is your wedding ring."

"John Grayson is dead, we died together."

"Did you see a body? He wasn't brought back with you?"

Mary clenched her fist.

"Yes, I saw a body. The Talon Felix Harmon ground John to dust in front of me, right before he started torturing me. He said it was a…punishment, that I deserved this for trying to fight the Court. know he's dead. They enjoyed watching everything, sick bunch of freaks!"

"Who are these people?"

"The Court of Owls," Mary replied.

"They're nothing more than a Gotham nursery rhyme," Slade informed her.

"If that's what they are, then what am I?"

Still, she did have his attention. No everyone gets resurrected from the dead, and he couldn't help but be fascinated by the fact that someone like her could have connections to an assassin like Raptor. Not to mention her skills as a thief, that he had  _never_  discovered while doing any research on Robin's past or family history.

"Why is that so important?" Slade was curious. He needed more information.

"They need an intact corpse to resurrect the dead, I don't know how it works but I know that much."

Mary glanced at him, "Is my wedding ring enough for you, Mr. Slade? Or do you expect me to get naked for you?"

"If we're going to get naked, shouldn't we get drunk first?" Slade smirked. "Your wedding ring will be enough…for now."

"Thank you."

"You should teach your son some manners, he hasn't learned gratitude," Slade scowled.

"Oh shut up, I choose to join you because it suits me, you dragged him into your world kicking and screaming."

"And my luck with apprentices is most unfortunate," Slade stared at the R emblem Terra had brought him.

"It's because you're an awful teacher," Mary told him.

"A partnership does sound interesting, though," he smiled a little. "Shall we begin?"

_Six months later…_

Slade Wilson looked at Mary Grayson as she stood before him, dressed in a uniform similar to Robin's when he had been his apprentice. But it was different. Instead of the tan and black that Robin had worn, it was green and yellow, but the domino mask was red.

It was fascinating, like looking in a mirror, it was like Robin was working for him.

She had been an excellent student, learning his fighting techniques, all the skills he taught her, she performed each task perfectly, and she managed to improvise when he threw something new at her.

She had become something that could go toe-to-toe with the Teen Titans. He had often watched the video of Robin fighting the Titans during the theft at Wayne Enterprises. She was so like her son it was eerie. He had shown her the video too, to show her who she would be fighting.

What was also fascinating is that she picked up on her son's relationship with Starfire with nothing more than the tape to go on.

Mary Grayson put the red domino mask on and looked at Slade. "Well, I'll be going, I'll bring back the chips you want, they're in Powers Industries, right?"

"You studied the floor plans?" Slade asked.

"Yes, I'll go in, get the chips and get out, if I have to fight, then I'll fight."

"You should just kill the brats and be done with it."

"I don't have to kill them, I'm not going to kill them, the members of the Court of Owls are all I'm interested in killing."

"You'd spare them just because you feel like it? You're weak," Slade sneered.

"So what if I'd spare them? In my mind, it's the certainty in myself that I possess which allows me to have that kind of mercy or compassion. There's no wavering on that point. It's fixed like the stars. So remember this: Mercy and compassion are virtues that only the strong are privileged to possess. And I...am strong," Mary looked at him.

"That's amusing, but you should get going."

"So you'll look for the information I wanted after I finish this job, right?" she asked.

"About Raymond McCreary? Yes, I'll look into it, once you bring me those chips," Slade replied.

"You'll keep your promise if I can deliver on my end?" Mary made sure once more.

"Yes, you bring me what I want and I'll keep my word completely," Slade replied.

Mary turned and left. She'd do anything to protect her son, and slipping back into her old criminal ways was the only way she knew she could protect him from the Court of Owls. Going to the Titans would have been the logical option, but she wanted revenge against the Court, for bringing her back to life only to make her suffer, for cutting her off from John Grayson completely, and for wanting to make her son their puppet. She wanted revenge and the Titans couldn't do that for her; that was something only someone like Slade could do.

She had work to do, and it was going to be a wild night.


	2. Little Tyrants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary has her reunion with Robin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Little Tyrants" is a song by Anberlin.
> 
> I scoured decades worth of comics to find quotes from her. There aren't many, but I did find a few. For people wondering what Mary Grayson looks like, watch The Batman (2004) cartoon season 4 episode 1 "A Matter of Family".

 Mary Grayson felt the warmth of the night air on her face. She was headed to Powers Industries. Slade had told her the coordinates of all the chips. She knew she was good enough to get in and out without setting off the alarms but she needed her son's attention.

She slipped into the building with ease. They had lax security on the outside, and only some armed guards on the inside.

She slips and grabs all three computer chips. She begins running, the guards give chase, sounding the alarm and alerting Titans Tower.

Suddenly, five figures stand in front of her. Mary smiles, her son is taller than her now.

"Titans, go!" Robin orders. Mary turns and runs in the opposite direction, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

"Stop!" she hears a female voice call to her. It's the one they call Starfire, the one she'd pegged as Dick's girlfriend.

Mary feels pain shoot through her shoulder as Starfire blasts her with energy. She's fast, but not that fast.

Raven uses her power to grip her and throw her off balance, stepping back quickly, Mary somersaults to regain her balance, something she's always done.

Robin's eyes go wide, he recognized the maneuver. He can't spoil this just yet.

Beast Boy slammed into her as a ram, sending her rolling toward the roof edge. She gets to her feet and flips to the next roof, pulling off the quadruple aerial somersault.

 _It can't be!_  Robin thought, sprinting after her, he fired his grapple gun, trying to get ahead of the hooded figure. Suddenly, his line goes taught, and he begins to fall.

He hadn't seen Mary throw a circus throwing knife at his grapple wire.

_Someone cut my grappling wire!_

"Robin!" Cyborg shouts, shooting his hand out to try and grab him. Raven and Starfire are too far away and Beast Boy is keeping up with their opponent.

Robin didn't even have time to reach for anything. He was falling too fast. At the rate he was going, he would slam into the pavement.

Suddenly, he came to a hard stop as someone caught him, he looked up expecting to see Starfire, she was the one who usually caught him when he fell, but she usually flew him up to the roof and he wasn't flying.

The stranger tosses him up onto the roof and backs away from him. He catches a glimpse of something on their clothing, its Slade's insignia.

"Why are you working for Slade?"

"The dark is generous. Its first gift is concealment: our true faces lie in the dark beneath our skins, our true hearts remain shadowed deeper still. But the greatest concealment lies not in protecting our secret truths, but in hiding from the truths of others. The dark protects us from what we dare not know."

"Dude, you think you're being all cryptic and smart. I recognize Matthew Stover!" Beast Boy shouted.

"No more games, who are you?" Robin moved towards her, he was going to take off her hood.

She somersaulted backward and leaped up to a higher vantage point.

"You don't get to peek just yet."

Cyborg blasted her and hit her in the leg.

She seems to shake it off, growling in irritation.

"What'd you come here for?" Cyborg demanded.

"These," Mary held up the chips, they were the same computer chips that Robin had stolen as Red X.

"And my reunion…that you're dying to watch!" Mary looked at Robin. She kept her face just out of sight.

She somersaulted down and unsheathed a sword. Robin grabbed his birdarangs and used them to create a sword to block the incoming blow. Slade's new "apprentice" or whoever it was, suddenly removed the cloak with a grand flourish that did exactly what it was supposed to do, get their attention.

"Good to see you, Dick," Mary greeted her son, and sent him flying into the wall.

She leaped after him. The Titans pursued her.

Dick is stunned, just for a minute and got to his feet. "Mom, are you a muló?"

Raven knows what that is, it is an evil spirit that comes back from the dead to seek revenge on those who had wronged them in life. Raven had studied magic from all over the world. She was surprised that Robin knew some things about it, but when he'd explained to her that he'd grown up in the circus and could recognize the Tarot cards and some other things like good luck charms, she'd looked into learning about the Romani and what they called magic.

"I'm not the living dead, but I am pissed off, if you must know," Mary replied.

"How do I know it's really you?" Dick asked. There were plenty of shapeshifters that could pass themselves off as other people. He'd been tricked by one, Madam Rouge and he wasn't ever going to be tricked like that again.

"My birthday is June 27th," Mary replied.

"You have anecdotes, trivia. Slade could have told you my real name and my mother's birthday. I know he knows who I am."

"But I know your real name, the one I gave you when you were born, the one to confuse the evil spirits," Mary glanced at him.

"More information you can easily find on Google," Robin told her. "Impersonating my mother is something that anyone could try; the three of us were world famous."

"I know you spit my vegetables in the trash when I'm not looking, little Robin," Mary smiled at him.

The term of endearment wasn't widely known to many except some close friends, but Slade had probably learned that too. But the knowledge that he spat his vegetables in the trash was something that only his mother would know.

It's her. It's really her and in a surreal twist of irony, she's working for the man he hates the most.

He's so screwed.

"God help me," Dick prayed, he hadn't prayed in so long, but he was going to have to fight her.

"God can't help you now, son. He's far too busy," Mary smirked. She held up something.

"Mom, why do you have a leash?" Robin asked.

"It was your father's only answer for you," Mary replied. "Doesn't matter now." She threw it away.

She pointed the sword at him, "This fight is between the two of us. Your friends can sit ringside and enjoy the show."

His friends looked at him. "I'll humor you, mom. Stand down, I'll deal with her."

"Robin…" Starfire began to protest.

"I'll be fine, Starfire, I promise."

He looked at his mother, he's always missed her, she was the wise one of the family. Always ready to give him advice. He really wished that he could wake up from this nightmare.

"Dick, are you sure of your abilities?"

"Yes."

"Keep reaching…but when you reach, know what you're reaching for! Be sure of yourself and you can never reach too far!"

It doesn't feel real, he feels like it's a dream that he's having and not reality at all.

"We took you up to perform with us when you were five, they thought we were crazy."

"But we always made sure you would never fall," Mary smiled, pulling out an apple. "Humor me."

Robin caught it as she tossed it to him. "It's kind of pointless, you're going to kick it out of me during this fight."

"Maybe, but we always did this before a show. Full stomachs make dull minds. And up here, a person needs to keep their wits about them."

Robin swallowed a bite. "Dad always said that. Where is he? I thought that…"

"We would be brought back together. Well, I'm not gonna get that happy ending."

"Do you know how you came back?"

"No, and it doesn't matter to me."

"Then what matters, Mom?" Robin asked.

"You matter. Family's the most important thing."

"For you to quote Tony Zucco to me is delicious irony."

"I know."

They finished the apples and stared at each other.

Then he does something none of his friends expected, he turned and ran. In this moment, he's not their fearless leader chasing down an evil criminal. He's an eight-year old running from his angry mother while she's dual wielding one of his father's belts and a wooden spoon after he's been disobedient and skipped his chores and homework to go goof off with Raymond McCreary, Raya Vestri, Bryan Haly, and Zane.

Mary gave chase, "You can't run away from what you don't want to deal with, Richard! Get back here!"

Robin felt his training kick in and he wheeled back around to face her. Their blades met, he stabs and slashes at her, but she avoids it with her excellent acrobatic skills.

He managed to stab through the armor, he heard her cry out in pain. Robin hated it; he hated the idea that he had to hurt her.

She suddenly kicked him in the face, knocking him off the roof. Slamming his sword into the wall, he pulled himself up and stood on the hilt.

Mary looked down at him.

"On your knees, I want you to beg for forgiveness!"

Robin pulls out his second grapple gun and pulls himself up, pulling his sword out of the wall. He charges at her.

Mary yanked his cape over his head and hit him in the face. He somersaulted back and came at her again.

She grabbed him by the shoulder and crushed the same pressure point that Tony Zucco had when he was 10. Robin screamed but fought through the pain and slammed his staff into her face.

"Mom, why are you working for him? WHY?! I can help you!" Robin screams; he's trying desperately to get through to her.

She slammed her fist into his gut.

"Its second gift is comforting illusion: the ease of gentle dreams in night's embrace, the beauty that imagination brings to what would repel in the day's harsh light. But the greatest of its comforts is the illusion that dark is temporary: that every night brings a new day. Because it's the day that is temporary. Day is the illusion."

She's quoting Matthew Stover again, using  _Revenge of the Sith_  to be as cryptic as possible.

Robin slammed the hilt of his sword into her face. She reeled back and he kept coming, slashing left to right.

She blocks it, but barely. He's gaining the upper hand. He reaches out, wraps his arms around her falling backward he uses his legs to push her away and slams her into the rooftop. She gets into a kneeling position as he points the swords at her throat.

It's over, Mom! You're going to tell me what's going on."

"Its third gift is the light itself: as days are defined by the nights that divide them, as stars are defined by the infinite black through which they wheel, the dark embraces the light, and brings it forth from the center of its own self. With each victory of the light, it is the dark that wins," Mary smiled. She liked giving him little clues without really telling him anything.

"Well, you're certainly skilled. I'm impressed. So, what happens now?"

"Lose the belt, the knives, and hand over the chips. You're going to tell me everything."

"What makes you think I'm going to do that, little Robin?" Mary asked calmly.

"Because I'm the one with the swords to your throat!" Robin replied.

"Snip, and then all of me is nothing at all," Mary quoted Matthew Stover again. "Son, do you think this is how I'm going down?"

"I know this is how you're going down!" Robin replied.

"Think, Dick. I picked this place to fight you. Hell…do you just think I carry a katana around in my back pocket?" Mary asked.

Robin saw the handle of her sword begin to smoke. He threw it away. It exploded.

"I'd do a lot more than throw that away, and I'd do it fast!" Mary began running.

Robin tried to follow her but felt a searing pain in his chest. Looking down, he saw three circus knives embedded there. She'd thrown them before he'd even had the chance to blink. Starfire and Raven moved to help him. Beast Boy and Cyborg took off to search for her.

Robin slammed his fist into the pavement. She's gotten away with the chips.

* * *

Mary examined her stab wound, it had healed almost instantly. She had no idea how that happened.

Slade looked up as Mary Grayson entered his lair.

"Excellent work. I had heard of your reputation, but you put on quite a show."

Mary bowed with a grand flourish. "Glad you enjoyed it."

"What is his name? The one you mentioned, the one that you say only you know?" Slade asked.

"You're not Romani so you that's not for you, and even if you were, that's for me to know and you'll never find out."

Mary tossed him the spherical container that held the chips.

"Aren't you going to ask me what I'm planning?" Slade queried.

"Like you'd tell me," Mary laughed. "I am merely here to entertain the king of an island of one."

"What do you mean by that?" Slade asked.

"You're smart, you figure it out," Mary looked at him. He'd left his bedroom and was standing before her in his uniform with his mask on.

To Slade's surprise, Mary started a conversation with him.

"You watched me, didn't you," Mary looked at him.

"Yes, I tapped into the security cameras. I had no idea you knew how to get under his skin so much."

"I'm his mother, I know him better than anyone."

"And yet you don't bother to share any information with me."

"My son is my business, not yours. If you want me to continue cooperating with you, you'll let me deal with him."

"Fair enough," Slade looked back in the direction of his bedroom.

"Your Russian girlfriend screams your name really loud, she could wake the dead," Mary smirked. "She was screaming when I left and she barely had you in bed yet. The last time I ever heard a woman scream that loud I was in labor."

"She's not my girlfriend," Slade glanced at her.

"Oh right, Angelica, your not-friend with benefits, your informer," Mary recalled. "It seems that you're enjoying yourself."

"She can do whatever she wants as long as she gets me my info," Slade replied.

"I'm not sticking around for this sideshow," Mary told him. "I did my job; I got you your computer chips. I'm actually impressed she's asleep now."

"What's the matter, jealous?" Slade asked.

"I have more important things to do than being jealous of her, besides, you know I'm not your type."

Mary looked at him, "But I am curious. Do you enjoy it? A man who manipulates people can easily put on an act. You say you let her go as much as she wants, but I figure you're mentally rolling your eyes like, "Are you done yet? Let me sleep, and will you please stop screaming!"

"What makes you think I don't enjoy hearing her scream?" Slade asked, amused.

"Believe me; I know when a man is ready to stop. John wasn't my first; I know how men act in bed. I know when a man is looking at his bedmate, but he's thinking about someone else," Mary drank from her water bottle.

"And just who do you think I think about during my trysts?" Slade glanced at her.

"Not me, that's for sure," Mary laughed. "You hate my son, so in turn, you hate me for having him. Or perhaps you hate me for dying. If I hadn't died, we would still be traveling together as a family. There wouldn't be any Robin the Boy Wonder to constantly meddle in your supervillain plans."

Mary put the bottle down, "Perhaps you're thinking about your ex-wife. All the pictures I saw of you in that house you were smiling, happy and acting like a normal person with a normal family."

Slade didn't answer her; he didn't need to.

"Now I have some unfinished business to attend to. See you down the road," Mary told him.

"Huh?" Slade asked.

"Performers never say "Goodbye" it's always "See you down the road." I thought you were so  _obsessed_  with my son you knew everything about him. You don't  _know_  him as well as you thought."

Mary walked out of the lair. She didn't hear Slade let out a growl of irritation. She always found a way to get under his skin. Slade put her out of his mind.

He had other things on his mind, his informant was waking up, and she'd want to play again.

He walked back to the bedroom and crawled between the sheets.

Slade felt his irritation spike even higher, he was growing tired of Angelica's focus on pleasure rather than business. He would have her look into Raymond McCreary that Mary had mentioned and the Court of Owls.

He recalled Grayson in his mind's eye. She was beautiful. He didn't particularly have an attraction to blondes despite the fact that he was one when he was younger.

She had a lovely figure, and he couldn't help but be tempted a little. His relationship with her son was most certainly not amicable. It wasn't like they were friends.

Many women had the misconception that "love" would "redeem" him, and he wasn't nearly as bad as the newspapers made him out to be. He was definitely as bad and despicable as the papers said.

Mary wasn't those other women. After all, having a man hold a sword to your throat does not give the positive first impression of a guy you want to take on a date and have a relationship with.

But she had a relationship with Raptor, and it most definitely was a physical relationship. Mary Grayson certainly did know how to wrap men around her finger. From all his research about Robin he knew that her husband had never cheated on her, Slade wasn't always faithful but he tried to be, he wasn't good at it.

The taboo aspect of it all made it a smidge exciting. Just a smidge and he knew that he'd been fascinated by her, not when she was alive of course, but there were very few people in the world who were as fearless as she was.

Seducing women wasn't particularly hard, but Robin's mother was not a woman that had a lot of relationships that were particularly too intimate in a physical sense, she might be someone who had many boyfriends, maybe, maybe not.

Mary was one of those people who wanted a deep, emotional connection with a partner before any physical intimacy took place and that was not a place Slade wanted to go.

Slade couldn't help but entertain a fantasy about having her. Her son would go off like a rocket if he discovered them having this sort of relationship, but then again, she wasn't an "easy" person, not that way.

But was this really about Robin? Slade wanted to convince himself that it was. But Mary wasn't Adeline Kane. She wasn't a brilliant strategist or a socialite.

Mary seemed average, the typical person you'd pass on the street and never give a second thought. But she was clever and resourceful. Not many people could hide in plain sight from the police for decades and not be found out, even after death.

She also seemed to understand him, unlike Addie, but she wasn't the same. He wasn't the same; he wasn't the charming and charismatic military man. He wasn't the devoted husband and loving father.

But Mary treated him like he was a normal person. Maybe that was the sort of fantasy he had in his head, that he could have a normal life again.

"Slade?" Angelica asked as she looked up at him. She rolled him over and straddled his waist. "Something on your mind?"

"No, nothing at all," Slade smirked. "Now, where were we?"

* * *

"Hello Samantha, it's been a long time," Mary greeted the rich socialite. Samantha Vanaver had recently moved to Jump City, establishing herself among the rich elite.

"How ironic that you've come to see me, little sister," Samantha spat out the words with venom.

Mary put her hand on Samantha's shoulder. They were both eerily similar in appearance, blonde hair and green eyes; they were also alike in height as well. The only real difference is Mary's hair was pulled back in a simple bun while Samantha's curly hair fell naturally around her face.

Mary pointed her finger in Samantha's face. "You can't really call me that, we didn't grow up together. I was just the illegitimate daughter of Phillip Vanaver, who had a fling with my mother Elizabeth Lloyd when she traveled with Haly's Circus. I only met you once at that "special" performance, where you decided to take my son and make him your murderous puppet!"

The rich heiress laughed. "Your son belongs to the Court of Owls. He is the Gray Son of Gotham."

"It was payback for the day you waltzed into my father's house, told him who you were, and asked him to give millions of dollars to a bunch of sick gypsies near Paris, as if Vanaver money was well spent on them," Samantha brushed off Mary's hand like she was dirty.

"You're a racist bigot, we don't call ourselves that, we're Roma. You just love lording your superiority over everyone else, and that's why I hate you!"

"And your husband, John Grayson, who was he? A nobody and so are you!"

"You claimed that your grandmother was Amelia Crowne, one of Gotham's First Citizens. Heh, as if a man with Crowne blood would set foot in a circus."

"You just can't stand that my grandfather, William Cobb worked his way up from nothing. I have evidence, physical evidence, but you people wanted to bury me, your dirty little secret. The Crownes and the Vanavers don't get to play the saintly, good-hearted rich when they cover up their bastard children. I have proof that I'm a Crowne, but you helped them bury me. I've never liked rich people who lie, and you're the reason why. Tony Zucco murdering me was just a nice convenience for you, wasn't it?"

Mary crossed her arms, "With the Crowne family fortune, my son could have had a good life, gone to a good college and maybe started a business of his own. Dick would never flaunt riches; I raise him to always be grateful for what he has. He could have done a lot of good things with that money, helped a lot of people. Money that you people stole from him."

Mary leaned in to Samantha Vanaver's face, "But you just couldn't handle that I was dead, you had to have the Court of Owls resurrect me so you could watch me suffer. That was your mistake!"

Mary grabbed Samantha by the collar of her dress shirt, "I will have my revenge! I will make you pay! Literally, every penny of the Crowne fortune will be given to my son! I don't care to be called a Vanaver, that doesn't matter, but you'll live, and I will destroy what you care about the most: your precious reputation! I'll show everyone what a fraud you really are! Grandmaster of the Court of Owls!"

The Court of Owls is my real life, but what are you going to do?" the Grandmaster of the Court of Owls taunted her.

"I'm going to do what I do best; I'll steal everything from you, and burn your home to the ground, not this fancy mansion, but your real home, the Court of Owls itself!"

Samantha Vanaver pulled out a gun, "Do you really think someone like you can threaten me, you're a nobody. A dead nobody without skills to fight."

"This is not a threat, Samantha Vanvaver, this is a promise, I'm going to stop you the way I see fit, so you better enjoy your freedom while you have it, because I'm going to enjoy watching Dick haul you off to jail, and then someone else will probably off you in prison."

"The fact that your son is a police officer is just pathetic. You people will never crawl out of the dirt, you'll always be filth!"

"I'm rather proud of him, he can help people in his own way, it's good of him to risk his life for others."

"How sweet, but he's never going to arrest me, you can't prove anything about the Court of Owls. I suggest you enjoy your freedom, Mary. I'm going to take pleasure in killing you myself."

"You're a tyrant soon to come undone, and I'm going to be the one who's going to do it." Mary bowed sarcastically to her, "We all hail the king."

Samantha prepared to pull the trigger, but Mary moved quickly and somersaulted over the balcony and disappeared into the night.


	3. Bloodlines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have fudged with canon just a little, making William Cobb Mary's grandfather instead of John's like he is in canon. A Nightwing fan pointed out that Mary said her grandfather ran away to the circus. I also love the idea because it's been revealed that she stole from lying rich people and considering William Cobb's family history it'd make sense that she'd hate rich people. Phillip Vanaver is my own fanon, but the story I am using comes from Nightwing #8-#9. For people wondering what Mary looks like in fanfic, I actually use the version of her from The Batman (2004) Season 4 episode 1 "A Matter of Family" as my basis.

_Marie Elizabeth Lloyd runs as fast as her ten-year-old feet can carry her._   _Her grandfather William Cobb has come home again after one of his trips._   _She didn’t have a daddy, her mother Elizabeth said that Daddy didn’t care about her or Mommy, so all she had was Grandpa William Cobb._

 _He picked her up, twirling her around in a warm hug._   _He smiled, “Marie, I brought you a present.”_

_He handed her a necklace that a ten-year-old girl would love._

_“I love it, Grandpa, thank you!” she gave him a big hug. “Are you going to perform tonight?”_

_“Yes,” William smiled._   _She loved to watch him perform._   _His knife throwing act while blindfolded was spectacular._   _He had become a Child of Gotham, with fame and celebrity that few could attain._   _Whenever he performed, Haly Circus had a straw-house, a sold-out venue where they had to spread out straw for the audience to sit on._   _Everyone loved him._

_Everyone loved him except the rich and powerful in Gotham City._

_It started when William Cobb met Amelia Crowne at one of his performances, the daughter of the elite Bourton Crowne. They got along easily and fell in love._

_Bourton Crowne disapproved of their relationship and it was only exacerbated by Amelia Crowne getting pregnant, with William Cobb’s son._

_William named his son Phillip and even though he was raised in the circus, he returned to become a wealthy philanthropist, changing his surname to Vanaver to hide his connections to William Cobb and became a womanizer._   _His father had disapproved of lifestyle because it reminded him of everything he hated about rich people._

_But when he discovered his granddaughter was a cirky like he was, he began to spoil her as best as he could, even though he didn’t have much._

_They traveled into Gotham City so he could buy her another present._   _After they were done shopping, he stopped in front of the Crowne mansion and stood with her in front of the gate, gazing up at a window._

_Marie tugged his hand._

_“Grandpa, why can’t we go see Grandma?” Marie asked him as they stood outside the entrance of the Crowne mansion._

_“Because little Marie, in the eyes of the people who_  matter, _we’re_ nothing. _That’s what Bourton Crowne told me. He said, “You may have pulled yourself out of the_ slums, _William, but you’re still living in_ filth.”  _We don’t matter to them; they won’t let me see your grandmother.”_

_Mary held her Grandpa’s hand, “What’d you do that was so bad they hated you?”_

_“I fell in love with your Grandma,” William replied._

_“Why is that bad?” Marie asked._

_“Because I wasn’t one of them, they only wanted her to be with one of_ them _."_

_"Grandma was really pretty, wasn't she; she used to have red hair."_

_"Yes, Marie, your Grandma is really pretty, and she was the nicest person, unlike her Daddy."_

_“I hate them, it’s not fair. I don’t care about money. I’m not even allowed to visit my own Grandma,” Marie scowled._   _“They won’t even let her come see you perform at the circus!”_

 _“I know. We should go before they start yelling at us that we’re not supposed to be here,” William smiled sadly._   _“Come on; let’s go get some ice cream!”_

_“You’re the best, Grandpa!” Marie hugged him._

_“I know I am. One day, we’ll show them all, we’ll change this city, in our own way._  Together."

 _They left the Crowne manor, and William scowled at them._   _He would change this city, no matter what he had to do. But now he had more important things to do, eating ice cream with his only granddaughter._

Mary Elizabeth Lloyd Grayson sighed.  She hasn’t been Marie Lloyd since before she changed her name when she married John Grayson.  She hasn’t thought about her Grandfather in some time.  Not since…she didn’t want to think about The Court of Owls and the labyrinth.

The last thing she wanted to think about was the physical and psychological torture she’d gone through for days before she’d been able to escape.

“Grayson, something on your mind?” Slade asked. “I got your info on Raymond McCreary.”

“There is one more thing I would like you to do for me and then we’ll call it even.”

“All right, I’ll indulge you, what do you want me to do?” Slade asked.  He figured that the info wasn’t the only thing she wanted.

 “I want to go to Gotham City,” Mary told him.

They traveled to Gotham City. Mary told Slade she was going to visit John’s grave and that he could go entertain himself for a few hours.

Mary found John’s grave and knelt by it.  “John, I’m sorry.  I know that we can’t be together anymore, but I’ll do whatever it takes to protect our son. I promise.”

Mary heard footsteps approach her from behind.  She turned, expecting to see Slade.  Instead, she saw a woman and noted that she couldn’t determine her age.

“Who are you?” Mary asked.

“It’s really disappointing; they botched your resurrection with such a poor imitation of my formula.”

“You…you know about that?” Mary asked the woman.

“Yes, the Court tried to give you Electrum that was so weak you’d come back, but without any of the regenerative abilities that make the Talons so dangerous.  Seems they botched that, you can regenerate.  If they’re going to rip off my work at least they could make a decent formula without me.”

“Who are you?” Mary wondered how she seemed to know so much.

“Where are my manners, Mary Grayson, you may call me Doctor Leviticus,” the woman smiled, shaking her hand.

“Do you want to get some coffee?” the doctor offered.

“Uh…sure, if that’s what you want,” Mary replied, unsure of why someone who worked with the Court of Owls would want to talk to her.

They walked to a nearby coffee shop, sat down and ordered some drinks.

“Why did you want to talk to me?”  Mary glanced at her.

“You see, many years ago, I devised a way to jolt the temporarily departed back from oblivion using a simple alloy: Electrum.  Electrum was used to make the first money, for the Owls, the idea of buying immortality with lucre was too hard to resist.”

“Ancient Greece, Right?  The rich would have coins placed under their tongue to pay for passage into Hades.”

Doctor Leviticus continued her explanation, “Inside your body is a significant amount of Electrum.  Not just in your blood, but in your cells. The alloy seeped down from a deposit embedded in your tooth.  In the shape of a tiny owl.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Mary asked, sipping her coffee.

“Because it’s what they did to you, when you said you’d take your son’s place as a Talon.  I’m surprised your husband didn’t know.  Still, they had only given you the Electrum in your tooth. They hadn’t trained you to fight or kill yet. That was going to be after your birthday, but you of all people know what happened that day.”

I want you to protect me,” Doctor Leviticus told her.  “Now those ungrateful bourgeois bird boys want poor Doctor Leviticus dead. Or deader.”

“I’ll tell you anything you want to know about them. In return, I trust you’ll help me find somewhere safe to avoid the reach of the Owls.  And the law. Preferably warm with a nice view.”

“I’ll ask my partner, see if he can come up with something,” Mary smiled. This was taking an interesting turn.

To her surprise, Slade agreed to “help” in exchange for Mary accompanying him on one of his “adventures”.

Mary told him where she needed to go.

“You care to explain to me why we’re breaking into Arkham Asylum?” Slade asked.

“You’ll see once I find him,” Mary replied. “Or would you rather be locked up in here with all the crazies?”

“If anyone’s crazy, Grayson, it’s _you_ ,” Slade smirked.  They snuck in while avoiding all the cameras.

They made their way down to the lowest level of Arkham Asylum. Slade noticed there were a lot of frozen coffins for some reason.  It was odd that they were frozen in the first place.

Mary opened one of the coffins.

“You wanted to find a corpse?”  Slade rolled his eye, “Such a waste of my time!”

“Don’t make assumptions, Slade, he _is_ what I was looking for,” Mary gazed down at the figure in the coffin.  He was dressed like an owl and wore circus throwing knives. 

Slade saw her take out a syringe and inject the corpse with something he didn’t recognize.

Mary sighed, “He’s gonna be mad at me for doing this!”

She grabbed him by his shirt and shouted loudly, “Grandpa, Grandpa, WAKE THE HELL UP!”

 _Grandpa?!_ Slade was stunned; this undead thing was _her_ grandfather?!

The man suddenly opened his eyes and swung a knife at her throat. She jumped back.

“Hands off!” he shouted.  His voice was deep and unearthly.  “Oh, Marie, sweetheart, is that you?”

“Yes, Grandpa, I came to get you out of here!” Mary told him.

“The Court has given me my punishment, they are justified in doing so, I disobeyed them when I helped you escape.”

“Grandpa, the Court of Owls tossed you down here like garbage after all you’ve done for them. You said you were loyal to them for decades.  What did it get you? Nothing!  They’re treating you just like Burton Crowne did!  You don’t need them; they’re only using you until it’s not convenient!”

“Then just what am I supposed to do?” William asked.

“Make them pay for everything they’ve ever done to us.  We’ll take what they cherish most: Their money.  Without their money, they have no power.”

“I’d be satisfied with killing them all,” William Cobb smirked.

“You do whatever you want, Grandpa, but Doctor Leviticus said she wanted protection from the Court in exchange for giving information about them.”

“I’ll find the Doctor somewhere safe, you have to keep up your end of the deal with Slade here.”

“Grandpa, how do you know who he is?” Mary asked.

“The Court has whispered his name; we know all who do business in Gotham City.”

“I’m flattered,” Slade smirked.  “Come on, Grayson.  Let’s go!”

William Cobb grabbed Slade’s shoulder and whispered in his ear, “I know what you’re thinking.  She’s not your personal toy!”

“Between her son and you, it wouldn’t be worth it,” Slade smirked.

“I’ve seen how you look at her, you’re all the same. She is beautiful and talented.  Men wish to use that talent for themselves.”

“Heh,” Slade sighed.

“My granddaughter is the best, and men only want her because she is the best.”

“What about her dead hubby?”

“He was the only man who did not want her because of those many reasons. He actually loved her.  I permitted the marriage because he’s also the best.”

William gestured to Slade, “Her son was chosen by the Court to save Gotham.  He was bred for it.”

“Save Gotham, that’s rich!” Slade laughed.  “I’m always annoyed by people who dress up their intentions like they’re _so_ noble.  Just say you want to own the city and be done with it!”

“Ha, you’ll never have him, you know, she’ll never let it happen, and neither will I.  But now that I’ve been let out of my cage, I think it’s time I pay back all the rich bastards who’ve treated us like dirt for decades.”

Slade turned to Mary, “Betrayal.  Destruction.  Revenge.  We really _do_ think alike.”

“Shut up, Slade!   I thought you said we should get going,” Mary scowled.

Slade laughed.

* * *

 They met up with Angelica and flew off to a mega city in Russia Mary had never visited before. They were meeting in one of Angelica’s hideouts.

“I’ve entertained you, Grayson, now you have to earn your keep,” Slade told her.

“You want me to kill someone?  That would be humorous to you, wouldn’t it?” Mary sighed.  “I'm not a gumball machine, Slade. You don't get to just twist the handle whenever you want a treat.”

Slade clenched his fist in anger.

“So you don’t like killing, huh?  You’d let them live just because you didn’t like killing!  Do you even realize which cruel and depraved city you’re in?”  Slade lost his temper, shaking with rage; he kicked a chair and sent it flying into the ceiling, “Damn it, that’s so normal!”

“If you remember, Deathstroke, they asked _you_ to do this job, not _me_ ,” Mary grinned at him.

“You and your loopholes,” Slade scowled at her.

“Fine, just need you to confirm these locations.  I’m being paid to kill them and I can’t be spotted before then.”

He handed Mary photographs and locations. She found them and reported back just like she was told.

Angelica sneered at Mary, “Well Princess Azula, you just sit back and leave this to the professionals.”

“He said he didn’t need my help for this part. That’s what _you’re_ here for,” Mary smirked.  “I wish you’d stop calling me that, it wasn’t funny when my son was 10 either.”

Angelica rolled her eyes and Mary watched the two of them head off to kill a bunch of poor, unfortunate saps.

She decided to tail them, curious to see what exactly Slade called an “adventure”.  She didn’t want to stay cooped up in a hideout.  She rarely got out as it was, for fear of being recognized.

Mary watched as Slade dispatched his targets, either by decapitation, shooting them or drowning them, all his targets fell within seconds of seeing him.  He was efficient and terrifying.

She’s troubled that he sees what he’s doing as only a job and no big deal at all.

Slade slaughtered five men easily with his swords. One last man is on his knees begging for his life.

“Lucky bastard.  You’re not on my list.  Go.  Find some new friends.  Hope you never see me again.”

“Yes…yes!  I swear to you!” the man said gratefully.  Slade left and headed across town.

He made his way to a hotel across town.

“You’ve been following me, Grayson,” Slade noted as he saw her standing nearby.

“What else am I supposed to do?” Mary queried.

“I don’t want to babysit you, but if you insist on coming along, stay out of the way!  And no unexpected requests!”

“Begging doesn’t work on you, you spared my life on a whim like I’m going to push my luck with you,” Mary smirked.

Mary entered the room with Slade and watched Angelica as she bent down and picked up a screwdriver.  A screwdriver covered in blood.

Mary hadn’t really given the woman’s physical appearance much thought. She had dark hair and gray eyes.  She would be considered beautiful, but the scars on her face that looked like jagged x-shaped scratches detracted from that somewhat.  The scars looked like claw marks that stretched from the top of her eyebrows to the bottom of her chin.  The X pattern was near the lower half of her cheek and the scars covered some of her lower lips.

She was dressed in a somewhat revealing green and black skintight suit.

Mary decided that it would be best if she stayed on the other side of the room and not get involved.

“Sorry for the mess,” Angelica apologized in a tone that had no sincerity whatsoever, “But you know, I like to play messy.”

“What mess?” Slade smirked.

“Heh,” Angelica laughed.

“So this is how you got the locations of the dispatched?” Slade asked, taking off his mask.

“My techniques never failed me. Or you,” Angelica smirked.

“No complaints there,” Slade agreed.

“These two boys _squealed_ their hearts out, literally, heh,” Angelica continued. “So much information. Names, places…And who set this all up.  Things you would never know if it weren’t for me.”

“Set up?  What are you talking about?” Slade asked.

They knew you were coming, Sweetie.  They offered to pay me whatever I wanted to let you walk into their trap. I obliged, naturally,” Angelica crossed her arms.

“Naturally,” Slade crossed his arms.

Mary was amused, of all the things this woman could call Slade, Mary found it funny he didn’t object to being called “Sweetie”.

The man was anything but sweet.

“What’s so funny, Princess Azula?” Angelica smirked.

“Nothing, just seeing you gush over Fluffy the Terrible over there is interesting,” Mary rolled her eyes.

“So, of course, curiosity got the better of me,” Angelica explained.

“As curiosity tends to do,” Slade agreed.

“So I decided to stick around.”

Angelica held up a mobile phone, “I found this mobile on the night table.  Apparently, it’s transmitting a frequency only _you_ can hear.  Like a dog, I suppose?  Or so says the big gray guy.”

Mary noticed a gray-skinned man, bloodied, tied up in a chair.

Slade looked at the man, “Possum.”

Mary remembered the name; it was the name of his target.

“Heh. You haven’t forgotten me, then,” Possum greeted him.

“Time’s not been kind to you,” Slade remarked.

Possum looked up at him, “And time is of no use if you can’t remember it.”

He continued speaking, “Wait...Do you hear it, Slade Wilson?  The key unlocking?”

“You never did make much sense, Possum,” Slade commented.

“Shhh, listen.  The sound of your precious mind being broken into,” Possum said in a voice that sound like a parent shushing a child.

 _Losing all motor function.  How?!_ Slade’s eye widened as he felt panic hit him.  He fell over.

Mary listened to her gut and stayed on the other side of the room, ready to make a break for it.

“They thought they could hide what they paid you to do for them,” Possum sneered.  “They were wrong.”

“Sla—” Angelica cried out in surprise.

She was cut off by Possum’s fist smashing her face into bloody pieces, literally.

Mary was stunned; she had only seen something like that in old gory anime from the ’80s that Raymond McCreary had watched with Dick at their trailer.  What was this?  Fist of the North Star?

She managed to avoid having a knife thrown at her.  She dodged out of the way and Possum turned his attention back to Slade.

“I’ll deal with your pretty blonde friend soon enough, but let’s finish our business. Can’t have my fun with her if you’re around to spoil it.  But first things first…”

“Talk.  As you say, time has not been kind,” Possum smirked. “Waiting…”

Slade groaned, pushing himself to his feet, “R71B, PLB1, DXW45, KWS1221.”

“That wasn’t so bad was it? Is that you using 90% of your brain capacity? HA!  HA! HA!”

Slade was huffing through the pain, “I’ll kill—I’ll kill you!”

Possum continued his gloating speech as he removed Slade’s swords from their sheaths.  “You’re no good to any of us now.  You were a good soldier. I wanted you to know before I kill you.”

Possum used one of Slade’s own swords to cut deep into his shoulder. The other one sliced his neck.  The idiot should have just stabbed him in the heart and got that over with, then you could cut off his head and he’s dead already.

Stupid villains and their sadism.  They’d always win if they’d be pragmatic and gloat later, like Tony Zucco.  The serial killers who get caught are caught because of their own hubris because they just _have_ to gloat to the police.

“Ha. Yes, let’s test that healing factor of yours!  See if it’s as good as mine!”

Possum continues cutting Slade’s neck slowly, rather than sensibly lopping it off like in a horror movie.

Possum gloated, “Odysseus wants your head.  They say the human head continues seven seconds after it’s been severed from the body. Let’s see what happens to yours!”

Mary unsheathed her sword and was sprinting across the room.  This wasn’t about Slade, this was about her, if Slade died, she’d be next and she already knew these people were above her pay grade.  Her son was one thing, this was something completely different.

Besides, she had a huge advantage.  All these so-called supervilain types checked off so many villain tropes of being evil sadists who have to make people suffer slowly instead of just killing them like Tony Zucco and gloating afterward.

“SHUT UP!” Slade screamed.

Slade angrily grabbed his own blade and shoved the sword into Possum’s head, hilt first, blood spewed out the back along with brain matter.

“Play… Possum now, a-hole!” Slade snarled.

Slade stayed on his feet, clutching his neck.

Mary moved quickly to him, “That’s the problem with you supervillains in suits.  You people always have to gloat before you kill off the “hero”.  Tony Zucco did his gloating _after_ I was dead.”

“How do you know that?” Slade asked.

“I heard him as I was floating up into Heaven.”

“Heaven, heh, sounds nice, but I’m not going there.”  Slade focused on trying to bandage his wounds.

“I’m not…regenerating…fast enough…” he groaned.  “You must be…enjoying this. Watching me die… I’ll be…out of your son’s hair…this way.”

Much to his shock, Mary begins bandaging the wound on his neck.

“Why are you…saving me?” he asked.

“Because that’s what you do when someone is dying in front of you,” Mary replied, she finished bandaging his shoulder.

“Operative down.  Did we get that?” a voice asked over the comm.

“Affirmative. Intel received and transmitted,” someone replied.

“Moving in on target.”

Slade and Mary were running as bullets rained down on them, they barely missed Mary, but they definitely hit Slade.

Slade jumped out of the hotel and crashed down onto a car from above.

Slade pointed up, “VTOL assault craft.  Very similar to Blackhawk UH-52. Four cannons of armor-piercing ordinance. Personnel capacity of 12.”

“Any advice, Slade?” Mary asked.

“Go for the masks, they’re covered in body armor, also neck pieces are weak too!”

So they fought their way out, Slade rushed through the explosions and plunged his sword into a soldier’s face.    He threw his other sword into the next soldier’s chest as he somersaulted above them, avoiding air support as they moved in. The other soldiers were ripped to shreds. Mary user her incredible acrobatics to avoid it.

Slade nearly collapsed from his wounds. Mary helped him lean on her shoulder as they began to stagger away.

“Well, that sucked,” Slade told her.

“That’s really what you’re going to say after all that, “that sucked”. That was a rush I don’t think I want to have again anytime soon.”

The two of them didn’t see Possum staring at them from another building.  Seems his regenerative abilities had kicked in too.

Slade gasped, “Lungs…lungs full of blood.”

“Angelica…gotta go back…” Slade mumbled.  Mary’s quite stunned, for a man who claimed that he didn’t feel anything for her, he was worried about her.  She was probably dead. Angelica had gotten her face punched off, literally.  There wasn’t any surviving that.

“It’s too late, we need to get you medical attention,” Mary told him.

“No hospitals, you’ll have to patch me up.”

Mary found a shady hotel and bribed the front desk to let them in off book in exchange for cash.

Mary placed him on the hotel bed.  She continues bandaging his wounds.  Slade noticed how soft and gentle her touch is.  She is especially careful not to hurt him.

She looks down at her hand, “Is this your brain?  I’ve heard of picking people’s brains before, but I think this is pushing it.”

Slade laughed, it was a piece of his brain indeed, since when did she make jokes?  He groaned in pain.

“Keep talking to me, give me something to focus on,” Slade instructed.  He needs to focus and stay awake while his body continued to regenerate.

“I guess I’ll tell you about my grandfather, William Cobb. He lived in Gotham City; his father was an ironworker building the Gate Brother’s bridges until it collapsed on him.  William’s mother worked at a textile plant. She disproved of his “begging” and didn’t want him on street corners.  But he went out anyway; they barely had money for food.”

“At the turn of the century, Gotham City was a splendid place to live if you were a Child of Gotham, one of the elite families.  The Wayne’s, the Eliot’s, the Cobbblepots, or the Crownes.  My grandfather was just someone who lived there.  A nobody.”

“He’d juggle baseballs and sometimes, Mr. Crowne would throw him a coin. There’s my poor, broke grandfather, juggling baseballs for pennies while surrounded by the extravagance of Gotham City,” Mary said the words with a bitter tone that surprised Slade.  It wasn’t envy, most people talk about the rich with envy; she spoke about them with anger, and the anger didn’t stem from being envious, it was something else and he found that fascinating since Dick was the ward of Bruce Wayne.

“My grandfather continues performing for months and on into the next year. One day, he stops a man from lifting the wallet of someone watching him.  A well-aimed throw of a baseball and that man is knocked unconscious with one hit. The owner of the wallet was Nathaniel, an employee of Haly’s Circus.  He said, “Impressive aim, son.  Quite impressive…”

“He looked at him and asked, “How might you feel about a change of venue?” He offered my grandfather a job at Haly’s Circus as a performer.  While his mother didn’t approve of how he’d been spending his days, she agreed to let him go join the circus.”

“Nathaniel told him, “The shows we’ll be performing, baseballs will not cut it.  You’ll need to up your game.”

“How?” my grandfather asked him. He replied, “By playing a bit harder.”  He handed him three throwing knives and showed him what to do.”

“Have you taken your children to the circus when they were younger, Slade?” Mary asked him.

“Yes. That was a long time ago.”

“Then you’ve probably seen a typical knife-throwing act.  My grandfather had one, but his act was unique because he did his completely blindfolded.  He had a natural talent and feel for knife throwing.  I saw his act growing up, he was spectacular.”

“City after city, night after night, a straw-house every stop, he was one of the few people that townies thought of when people talk about the circus, other than Big Bertha.”

“Big Bertha?  Straw-house and townies?” Of all the things Slade had thought of when it came to Robin, his circus background wasn’t one of them.  He hadn’t heard these terms before.

“Big Bertha, Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus.  Straw-house, when the circus has to put down straw for the audience to sit on. Townies are what we call you people.”

“I see,” Slade nodded.  He hadn’t really thought much of Robin’s family history, but Mary did make it seem entertaining at least.

“Over the years, William gained such a reputation that people would line up to see him when he arrived in Gotham by train.  It was during one of his annual stays that he met my Grandmother, Amelia Crowne, daughter of Bourton Crowne, one of Gotham’s First Families.”

“My grandparents get along easily. They’re happy together.  Two children in love, they don’t realize how it’s going to end for either of them.”

“One night, Bourton Crowne pulls my grandfather aside.  “William, a moment? I wonder if we might talk…about _exactly_ what you’re doing with my daughter.”

“Sir?” William asked him.  My grandfather was confused.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand, Mr. Crowne,” William told him.

“Are you a fan of chess, William? Such a pure game.  Two sides and two sides only—light and dark…black and white. Much like this city…The white pieces, which always move first, are the most powerful.  They’re the ones who _matter_.  Do you know how to play chess, William?”

“I…don’t, Sir,” My grandfather told him.  “Of Course you don’t. That’s exactly my point,” was Bourton Crowne’s reply.

“You may have pulled yourself out of the _slums_ , William, but you’re still living in _filth_.  A City of light and dark has not middle.  It never has…and you’re not going to change that.” 

Slade began to laugh, “This Bourton Crowne is an idiot.  You can easily win with the black pieces. Light and Dark, it’s meaningless on a Chess board.  The winner’s the winner, such a pompous ass!”

“Bourton’s disapproval weighed heavily on the relationship, but it was exacerbated when Amelia became pregnant with my father.  So Bourton covered it up, married Amelia off to a second cousin.  He kept them from seeing each other.  He severed their connections completely. To the rest of Gotham, the boy Phillip was a Crowne.”

Mary was sewing one of his wounds shut.

"My Grandfather was depressed and saddened.  He felt he could not change Gotham no matter what he did until Nathaniel offered him the chance to change Gotham by becoming a Talon, the assassin for the Court of Owls.”

“My father, Phillip Cobb grew up in the circus too, but he left to make a name for himself and started a company, but he couldn’t bear my grandfather’s “scandalous” history so he changed his surname to Vanaver.”

“Vanaver? As in Samantha Vanaver?” Slade asked.  “Did a guard duty job for her once, it paid well.”

“And I’m sure that’s _all_ you did,” Mary smirked.  “She is drop-dead gorgeous.”

“Sleeping with a client is always a bad idea. Do you know her?” Slade asked.

“She’s my half-sister.  She’s also the Grandmaster of the Court of Owls.”

“I can see the resemblance,” Slade noted. 

Mary continued telling her story.

_"Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed, speak not a whispered word of them, or they'll send the Talon for your head."_

“My Grandfather was the greatest Talon the Court has ever produced.  He was loyal to them; he killed a lot of people.  But when I knew him I didn’t know any of that. All I remember about him is that he doted on me and spoiled me, despite the fact that we didn’t have much.”

“There’s a reason I don’t want my son to become a Talon.  It’s because they want to _make_ him do it, because they want to force his hand, just like _you._   I offered to join them when my half-sister told me they’d chosen him that night a long time ago when he was ten.” 

“I couldn’t bear the thought of them having him, so I made them an offer: I’d become the Talon for that era in his place, I could buy the whole, “we’re going to save Gotham, no matter what we have to do to fix it.”  I can swallow that pill because I believe many things that are similar to the Court.  But I would choose that for myself.  My grandfather joined them of his own free will, so why should my son be forced into it?”

“My half-sister was amused, considering how much I hate people like her and the Court.  But family’s the most important thing, and for that, I sold my soul.”

_You have truly piqued my interest, Grayson, just how complicated are you?_

“But most of all, I won’t have my half-sister steal my son away from me; he’s mine, not theirs!  If he wants to join them, fine, let him do whatever he wants, but we all have choices and I won’t let them deprive him of his free will.  And I won’t let _you_ have him either!”

Mary decided to change the subject.

“I’ve traveled all over the world, I have seen my share of things, although nothing you would particularly call exciting,” Mary continued wiping the blood away.

“Heh, probably not,” Slade smirked.

“Although I did see something…disturbing.  Tell me, Slade, have you ever been to the country of Kravia?”

“I haven’t been there, but I heard there was a civil war several years ago.”

“How interesting that you mention that,” Mary smiled, “Haly’s was touring there during that time, it was during that tour that my husband and I witnessed the “end” of that civil war.

“What do you mean?” Slade asked, curious.

“The last night, after we were done performing, John and I were checking the rigging when saw a man dressed as one of the clowns enter the ring.  We were too high to ask him anything so we just continued doing our job.

Then we hear the curtain open, in walks a boy we recognized as Prince Kravik and then the clown pulls out a knife and starts stabbing him.  It’s quick and ugly and nothing like a horror movie.”

“The child might have been a cruel, insane tyrant, but he was still a child, there was more blood than I thought there’d be for a kid but…well, this kind of stuff probably doesn’t even phase you.”

“I don’t approve of genocide but I go where the money is,” Slade replied.  This information was indeed useful.

“The next day, my husband John found a note, it said, "If you say anything about what you saw, we will kill you and your whole family. Be Warned. Pickles the Clown."

Mary laughed, “Who would I go to and tell anyway?  Kravia has very little to do with the U.S. anyway, and when do politicians over here care about what happens to a psychotic child ruler?”

“You never know who might find that information important,” Slade told her.

“Answer this question.  Why did you save me?  You don’t have to. We may be “partners” but we’re not friends.  You aren’t obligated to help me.”

“I paid you with my wedding ring to train me and further my own agenda. And since I’ve proven to you that the Court of Owls is real, I’d think you wouldn’t want them around either.”

“A common enemy makes our relationship interesting.  I don’t play the hero, I’m in it for anything that benefits me, but still, you are a fascinating person.  Perhaps I like keeping you around.”

Mary laughed as she bandaged his head.  “Why are you trying so hard to make it sound so noble?  I thought your goal was more focused below your waist!”

Slade laughed before he let out a groan.  “You do have a fascinating sense of humor.”

“I’m grateful,” he told her quietly.  “So let me show you my gratitude for saving my life.”

Slade smiled a little, seeing the stunned expression on her face.  He took advantage of her confusion and pressed his lips to hers, stealing a kiss from her.

Slade can’t help but be drawn to her even more, she’s a strange one, she’s not willing to kill, but she’s saving the life of the man that has wanted to kill her son.

He let his fingers slip through her hair.  His mouth only left hers to take another breath before his lips found hers again.

“You’re going to wish you hadn’t done that,” Mary murmured, she gently pushed him away.

“I only wish I’d done it sooner,” Slade replied.  He lay back on the bed.

Slade found her intoxicating and he wanted much more from her.  She was like a fine wine that he’d only taken a small sip from.  And he wanted more than just a little taste, he wanted everything he could get from her, and he would have her.  He had made up his mind, and sooner or later, she would see things his way.


	4. Everything's Worse With Bears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slade receives an unexpected visitor. He and Mary go visit Samantha Vanaver when she opens an orphanage and Mary has an unexpected encounter at the park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, DC made a Deathstroke/Yogi Bear crossover. It exists.

Raven was busy healing Robin's injuries as he stared up at the ceiling.

"How did she come back? It doesn't make any sense," Robin said to himself.

"My Mom is a normal person, no superpowers, no connections to anyone who would know how to raise the dead, so I can't figure out who would be able to do it. It certainly wouldn't be Slade."

He looked at Raven, "Did you sense anything wrong with her? Like she was being controlled?"

Raven shook her head, "No, I couldn't sense anything like mind control. She was mentally sound."

"I scanned her biometrics, she didn't have anything on or inside her body that indicates Slade was physically forcing her to commit crimes," Cyborg told him.

"I'm just confused," Robin covered his eyes. "She only beat me because I let my guard down. I won't let that happen again!"

Robin slammed his fist into his palm.

"I don't get it, dude, you always said your Mom was a good person. Why would she be working with Slade?" Beast Boy frowned.

"She wasn't an amateur, that's for sure," Robin noted. "The only other person I've seen who was that good at getting by security is Red X, and he has Xenothium gadgets. She may have weapons Slade gave her, but she didn't use any of them to get into Powers Industries to get those computer chips."

"Robin, there's something I don't get. What's in it for her?" Cyborg asked. "She didn't say anything about Slade's plans and why she's working for him."

"That's a good point, what is in it for her?" Robin sighed. "That is interesting; I didn't hear Slade talk to her the entire time. Didn't see an earpiece on her either."

"When Terra was working for Slade, she talked about his plans, just a little, but your Mom didn't say anything," Beast Boy nodded.

"What if it is not Slade's plan, but  _hers_ , what could she be planning Robin?" Starfire asked him.

"Beast Boy, you said she quoted Matthew Stover,  _Revenge of the Sith_ , right?" Robin looked at his sci-fi loving green friend.

"Yeah, but why's that important?" Beast Boy asked.

"In a nutshell, what is  _Revenge of the Sith_ about?" Robin prodded.

"It's about how the Galactic Republic was destroyed by the Dark Side."

"Its third gift is the light itself: as days are defined by the nights that divide them, as stars are defined by the infinite black through which they wheel,  _the dark embraces the light, and brings it forth from the center of its own self_. With each victory of the light, it is the dark that wins," Robin quoted the book.

"What is something that my mother associates with light? The spotlights, the circus, Haly's Circus where our family was the main draw," Robin gestured to Cyborg. "Cyborg, bring up the route card."

"What's that?" Cyborg asked.

"The circus schedule. They should have it on the internet."

Cyborg pulled it up, "They'll be here in three days."

"It's not a coincidence, she wants me to go home, but she's keeping the reason why away from me," Robin frowned. He moved to stand in front of the giant screen.

"She wants me to find out something about the circus but she doesn't want to tell me what it is."

Robin didn't turn around, "Did you check their graves like I asked, Batman?"

The other four Titans jumped out of their skin, Raven was surprised, she hadn't even sensed him!

"Yes, I have, and both your parents' bodies are gone, just like she said." Batman came over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Dick, do you want me to help?"

Batman unmasked himself.

"No, Bruce, I'll handle her on my own, but if anything important comes up, I'll let you know."

Dick grinned, "So what brings Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy to Jump City? You here to check up on Wayne Enterprises?"

"The sign you wrecked has been fixed, you know," Batman told him.

"You know I'm sorry—" Dick began to apologize.

"There's nothing to apologize for. You did what you had to do. You don't do anything without a reason and you did it for your friends. Slade forced you to steal for him, that's different than joining him because you want to."

"I know, but I'm sorry," Robin glanced at him. "We didn't part on the best terms."

"Don't worry about it; It's water under the bridge now. I've heard you have a nice view on the roof. I'm going to go up and practice my speech."

"Speech? For what?" Robin asked.

"Bruce Wayne is giving a speech for Samantha Vanaver's orphanage she's opening in Jump City,"

"You don't normally show your face to other heroes, why us?" Cyborg asked.

"Because Dick trusts you, and I trust him," Batman told them.

"We are deeply honored, you do not have to tell us these things," Starfire smiled.

"People wouldn't believe us anyway," Beast Boy gawked. "I wouldn't have figured it out."

"Of course you wouldn't, you're not  _that_  smart," Raven smirked.

Batman turned and began heading towards the elevator.

"Oh, and Robin, in  _Revenge of the Sith_ , the darkness was hiding in plain sight."

"Didn't think he did anything remotely fun," Beast Boy muttered.

Alfred entered the room, exiting the elevator.

"You know I could just fly over the crowd in the Batwing and dose them all with knockout gas to save time on your speech!" Robin called.

"I for one will be hanging on every word. However, pillows and blankets will be available for those who should require them," Alfred quipped.

The older man walked up to Robin and held out a plate full of something. Beast Boy sniffed, it smelled awesome. Robin high-fived him for that joke.

"Are those your hot buttered raisin scones?!" Robin asked.

"Yes, of course, Master Dick," Alfred Pennyworth smiled.

"You're the best, Alfie," Robin smiled.

Raven got up and joined Batman in the elevator. "Batman…do you want emotional healing?"

"No, but thank you for the offer. Unlike Dick, I…have to be Batman. My parents' death made me what I am, but he can move on. I can't."

Raven decided to listen to his speech out of curiosity.

Several minutes later, Raven rejoined her friends. She raised an eyebrow at Robin. "You're right; knockout gas would save time on that speech. Is he this long-winded at work?"

"He doesn't talk too much during work. You want some of these scones, if you don't, I'll eat them all!" Robin warned.

Raven grabbed some and ate them, he was right, these were good.

* * *

Mary slept for the first time in a long time.

_Mary felt at peace, it's almost surreal, she's dead but she's floating up out of Haly's Circus. She sees her son climb down from the platform and move over to their bodies._

_Danny Podeet, the roustabout pulled her son into a comforting hug. "Don't look, kid, whatever you do, don't look."_

_Dick looked anyway._

_"Mom…Dad…Please don't die—don't die! I love you…I love you! You can't die…You can't…you can't!"_

_"Dick i-it's too late. Come with me," Harry the clown is trying to get him away from the bodies._

_Stan "M.C." Rutledge is trying to keep the audience from panicking. "Everyone get back in your places…We can't let the audience panic."_

_But there is nothing anyone can do. Mary feels at peace with her life and it all fades away._

_Mary woke up after that._

Mary looked down at the suitcase, "What's this?"

"Money, for the information about that incident in Kravia. I paid you what I feel the info's worth, besides, it always helps to have unexpected information if one of my clients should try to take advantage of me."

"Slade, someone's out front," Mary pointed at the screen. "Wait, is that who I think it is?"

"How did the heck did he even find me?!" Slade exclaimed. "I guess he is smarter than the average bear."

"Slade, how in the world do you know Yogi Bear?" Mary asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I did a job for him, how do  _you_  know him?" Slade asked, confused.

"He used to be an attraction at Haly's Circus along with Boo-Boo. The animal trainers taught him and Boo-Boo to walk and talk like humans because they were so smart. He drew a huge crowd, but we…ah kinda got rid of them. They made me break it to him gently when we left him at Jellystone Park."

"Why's that?" Slade found this coincidence extremely amusing.

"He never stopped eating people food. He'd raid the cook shack where the employees eat and constantly stole Dukie Bags, bagged lunches. He was very fond of Aba-daba."

"Aba-daba?"

"Any dessert in the cookhouse. Yogi would also get out of his cage and sneak over to our trailer and beg Dick for food. My son thought it was cute. I didn't. Yogi played Hell on my food budget!" Mary threw up her hands.

Mary glanced towards one of the rooms inside the lair.

"I'm surprised he's not a hunting trophy on your wall. I'd think you'd be the type to shoot a walking, talking bear."

"He hired me, I can't shoot my client, and besides, that Ranger Smith is always chasing away hunters when they try to shoot the animals."

Mary couldn't help but smile when the enormous bear walked in pushing a giant cart full of baskets.

"Thanks for everything, saving Boo-Boo and all. Please accept the finest Jellystone has offer."

Yogi stopped and sniffed. "Mrs. Grayson, is that you? I thought you were dead."

"How do you know that, Yogi?" Mary asked.

"I read the papers. You always made the best sandwiches."

"You should know, you constantly stole them," Mary laughed.

Mary could swear Yogi's "facial" expression was serious.

"You aren't supposed to be here."

"I know, Yogi, I know."

"Somebody boo boo'ed," he observed. This would normally be seen as something funny. It had been his "catch phrase" when he would perform at Haly's Circus. But in this context, he wasn't being funny.

"Yeah, and they're gonna regret it."

Yogi gave her a big hug.

"You take care of yourself, you big idiot, and please stop stealing pic-a-nic baskets. Someday, it won't end well for you," Mary gave him an affectionate head pat.

"I'll be careful, I always have been. The Pic-a-nic baskets are gifts you see."

" _Sure_  they are. You're stupidly lucky you know."

"I know. It's very nice to see you again."

Mary went over and pulled out a bag, "This is for you, it was originally for me, but eh, why not?"

"Oh thank you!" Yogi exclaimed; clutching the bag in his teeth and prancing out with a stupid grin on his big, adorable bear face.

Slade looked at the giant stack of picnic baskets, "Serves me right for taking a gig from a bear with a necktie that sounds like Ed Norton…" Slade leaned down. "Might as well make the best of it…"

He held up the plate with the sandwich. "Liverwurst? Who the hell eats liverwurst anymore?"

Mary held up her hands in protest, "Don't look at me, I'm not gonna eat it!"

"So just what am I going to do with a bunch of liverwurst sandwiches?" Slade asked, rolling his eye.

Mary saw the newspaper and the headline:  _Samantha Vanaver opens new orphanage in Jump City._

"We could give it to charity," Mary suggested. "Samantha Vanaver is the Grandmaster of the Court of Owls."

Slade went and changed his clothes. 

"Here," Slade handed her a dress.

Mary raised an eyebrow. "This costs about a month of my salary!"

She did think the dress was pretty, although black wasn't particularly her color.

She got changed and reentered the room. He came out dressed in a nice suit and tie. He was holding a cane in his hand.

"Is that a prop?" Mary raised an eyebrow.

"I actually need this since I'm not 100% back to normal. While we're out, call me Evan Dorsletter. And what are you going to use as your alias?'

"Elizabeth Keen," Mary replied.

"Cute," Slade smirked. It was too easy; using the name of a fictional character, all they'd get is information about  _The Blacklist_.

"It's not a lie, Elizabeth is my middle name," Mary laughed.

They drove down to the orphanage and got out of the car. Slade was unexpectedly unbalanced and about fell over when exiting the vehicle.

Suddenly, someone caught him; he looked over and saw his nemesis in civilian clothes holding him up.

"You need some help?" Dick asked.

"No, no, I'm fine, Mr. Grayson," Slade told him.

Dick recognized his voice. He'd never seen him in bad shape before.

"My mother always told me I should help the  _weak_  and  _elderly_ ," there was a hint of mocking in his voice.

"You're such a brat!" Slade snarled in a low voice.

"Now, now, Mr. Dosletter, don't be rude to him, he's only behaving the way  _his mother_ would want," Mary whispered in his ear.

"And you're a bitch!" he huffed.

"I can drop you if that's what you'd like," Dick smirked.

Dick helped his nemesis steady himself. Dick was getting a kick out of this for sure. He could see the other Titans also in civilian dress. Cyborg and Beast Boy were corpsing, trying desperately not to laugh, Starfire was laughing while covering her mouth and even Raven had an eyebrow raised in amusement.

"And who are you, sir?" Samantha Vanaver asked politely, extending her hand.

"Evan Dosletter," Slade told her.

Slade and Samantha made meaningless small talk while Dick moved over to speak to his mother in a low voice.

"Mom, why does Slade have liverwurst sandwiches?" Dick asked low enough so she could hear him.

"Yogi Bear paid him for a job in sandwiches," Mary replied.

"Slade's more likely to  _shoot_  Yogi than take a  _job_  for him," Dick scowled.

"I didn't get details, I only said hi to him when he came to pay Slade."

"How'd he get out of Jellystone Park?"

"I have no idea," Mary shrugged her shoulders.

Samantha Vanaver's voice cut into their conversation. "Why don't we eat these?"

Slade and Mary did their best attempt at not visibly cringing.

When Samantha Vanaver turned away to speak to someone else, Dick made the gesture for slitting your throat, while looking horrified.

Even Slade was uncomfortable.

They all sat down to eat.

"So who are your friends, Mr. Grayson?" Samantha Vanavver asked.

Dick pointed to them each in turn, "Kory Anders, Victor Stone, Garfield Logan, and Rachel Roth."

"This is nice of Evan Dosletter to bring us something to eat," Samantha said cheerfully.

"Yeah, on what worldline?" Garfield Logan scowled. Rachel Roth elbowed him. "Ow!"

"Hoo boy," Vic muttered loud enough for them to hear.

"Hmm," Rachel frowned.

"They look delicious!" Kory exclaimed.

"And here we go," Dick gulped.

Dick Grayson bit into his sandwich and fought the urge to puke.  _Yogi, you stupid bear, why'd it have to be liverwurst?!_

Kory Anders ate hers and began beaming,  _Just like the spudflakes back home!_

Garfield Logan groaned inwardly,  _DUDE, WHY?!_

Victor Stone's internal alarms were blaring in the computerized half of his brain,  _DELETE, DELETE, DELETE!_

Rachel Roth was nearly catatonic,  _Azar, I think I'm dying!_

Mary Grayson forced it down,  _I'm gonna need another funeral!_

Slade scowled,  _That gig I took for that bear wasn't worth this!_

Samantha Vanaver was livid,  _I'm going to have the Court find who made these sandwiches and kill them!_

They all leaned over and as covertly as possible spit out the food hoping the person next to them doesn't notice.

"This is a splendid sandwich!" Kory exclaimed; she got seven more sandwiches stacked on her plate.

After Kory finished the sandwiches, Bruce Wayne arrived and gave his heartfelt speech; Slade kept tapping his foot and checking his watch. Mary only watched with interest and kept her eyes on him. He donated a ridiculous amount of money and the crowd clapped loudly in applause.

After it was finally over, Slade told her he was going back "home". Mary told him she was going to the park to get some fresh air.

Mary walked to the park and started down a path and stopped, hearing Samantha Vanaver's voice as she spoke to someone. Mary ducked behind a tree. Her half-sister was walking alongside Bruce Wayne.

"Bruce, really, you are much different than the tabloids paint you!" Samantha Vanaver exclaimed, putting her arm around his shoulder.

Mary fought the urge to make an audible noise while cringing. She knew who Bruce Wayne was, everyone did; he was in the tabloids every other day at least with some insane rumor about his love life.

But she knew something that not many people did: Bruce Wayne was Batman. Mary knew it because Richard, Raptor had deduced his identity by stalking Dick and correlating Robin's appearance shortly after Dick Grayson had become his ward. Although she disapproved of Richard's emotional need to stalk both her and her son, he was a "different" sort of stalker. He didn't leave phone calls or notes saying that Mary needed to be with him. He had appointed himself her protector and had taken it upon himself to "follow" Dick around after her death.

"What do you mean, Samantha?" Bruce asked, curious.

"I couldn't help but admire you after I found out you took in an unfortunate child and gave him a better life," Samantha smiled. "You care about people, that's the Bruce Wayne everyone needs to see!"

Mary was seething;  _My son's life was not unfortunate! You do know how to stroke his ego, and I'm sure that's not the only thing you're stroking!_

No doubt they were sleeping together, Bruce Wayne's reputation as a playboy preceded him for literal  _miles_. Still, he was Batman, but Mary knew Samantha Vanaver could play the part of an angel when she wanted to, but what disgusted Mary was the idea that Samantha Vanaver might try to start a relationship with Bruce so she could become Dick's "new mommy".

Samantha Vanaver felt her phone go off, "Damn, emergency board meeting. I have to go."

"You're wrong, Samantha. Dick was not unfortunate; he had a good home and a family. They were murdered and their killer was brought to justice. I took him in because he needed someone to help him through those dark days, and I did it so he wouldn't end up…"

"End up like what?" Samantha asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Like me," Bruce Wayne replied. "Go on, I'll catch up with you later, at dinner."

"I look forward to it," Samantha smiled.

Samantha gave him a lingering kiss that really laid it on thick. Mary decided to leave. She'd had enough of seeing her half-sister sucking up to her son's adoptive father. She heard that the papers had been finalized a few years ago but Dick had kept his surname.

Samantha blew him a kiss as she walked off.

Mary walked away from where they were and found a place to sit.

She stared up at the sky, at least it was a nice day out and she could enjoy the pleasant weather.

"It's nice out, isn't it?" a voice said right behind her ear. She looked behind her. Sitting behind her was Bruce Wayne. He wasn't looking at her. Outside of seeing him as Batman when he'd protected her family from Tony Zucco they had never met, even when he'd been at Haly's Circus for their performance.

She wondered if he knew she was alive again. She put that out of her mind. "Yes it is," Mary replied. "I rarely get to have time to myself like this."

"Sometimes it's nice to get away from my work. I prefer to be alone. Might I ask your name?"

"Marie Lloyd," Mary replied. It wasn't a lie, it was her birth name.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Bruce—"

"I know who you are, Mr. Wayne," Mary told him simply.

"Of course you do, Miss Lloyd, I'm in the papers all the time," Bruce smiled.

"No, Bruce, I know who you  _really_  are, and the mask you wear," Mary touched his shoulder.

"And what mask is that?" Bruce Wayne asked.

"I never got to thank you for protecting us…Batman," she said it simply.

"I know who you are...Marie Lloyd Grayson. You never need to thank me…Skydancer," he smiled.

"You know about that, only two people know about that, my husband and my ex-boyfriend," Mary laughed.

"I am Batman," his face became serious. "I also know that you hate rich people. Specifically rich people who lie and break promises. I know you and your partner robbed the rich in Paris. I suppose you think I took your son in so I could treat him like a Christmas puppy."

"I would certainly hope not," Mary smiled. "I want to believe that what you told your lady friend is true."

Bruce continued to speak, "I'm not what the papers say I am. I suppose you're expecting someone a little brighter and perhaps a little more outgoing. I was a very serious child. That hasn't changed much."

"Unlike the zany madcap you are now?" Mary laughed.

She saw him smile, just a little. She wondered if he was being genuine or if this was his "Bruce Wayne" persona being charming and amicable. Still, he had admitted to being Batman, but really who was she going to tell, she'd probably get sent off to Arkham Asylum, or people would be really curious about why she was the spitting image of a famous dead acrobat.

"How do you know I won't tell your secrets, Mr. Wayne?" Mary glanced at him.

"You kept your criminal career a secret from your own son. I'm sure you'll keep my secrets too," he smiled. "Deep down I know you're a good person."

Bruce glanced over at her, "Deep down, I'm not a good person."

She laughed, "I find that funny. I'd think you'd be the first person to haul me off to jail."

"You aren't one who fits into an easy category; you aren't in it for the money or to gain wealth for yourself. My relationships with people like you are… complicated."

"You mean Catwoman? She leaves me in her dust."

Bruce smiled, "One goes on so pleasantly with women; they never show themselves in their natural form. That is to say, they are not so vain as men who conceive themselves always to be amiable enough, just as nature has produced them."

"Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, how many people actually read him?" Mary laughed.

"I have, he's interesting, to say the least. But I'm sure he's not what you want to talk to me about."

Bruce put a hand on her shoulder, "Mary, go back to your son."

Bruce stood to his feet, turning to face her. Mary followed suit, not looking at him.

"I heard you adopted him, shouldn't you call him  _your_  son?" Mary asked.

"While I have adopted him,  _you_  are still his mother," Bruce's expression was sad. "At least he can still remember you."

He glanced away from her.

"Twenty-five years... my parents murdered in front of my eyes... the wet rattle of my father's dying breath...the heavy emptiness invading my mother's dilating eyes... so long ago. Too long ago...Too long to feel the loss... or the rage...or the fear...all those things that made me... I can't remember my mother."

"You paid your dues to Gotham City, you've done so much with both sides of your life, if anyone has earned retirement, it's you."

Mary turned around to face him, she put her hand on his chest; it's a gesture she has done to John Grayson. It's an intimate and emotional gesture, albeit an unconventional one.

"It's nice of you to say so, but I won't stop until Gotham City is saved. I know you're planning something. Dick asked me not to interfere, but if you should set foot in my city, God help you."

"I understand, Batman. I understand well enough," "I will thank you for taking care of my son. I always admired you, because you actually care about people, and I'm not saying that to boost your ego. We died at your charity event, you know."

Mary leaned over and kissed his cheek, "Keep an eye on the company you keep, Mr. Wayne. People like your friend are always wearing masks."

"I've suspected that much, but you're not going to tell me, are you?"

"You're the World's Greatest Detective; you can figure it out for yourself. How do I know no one's eavesdropping on us?"

"No one's been here for hours and I've already checked the place for cameras. This conversation is just between us."

"I see, you wouldn't have confirmed your identity otherwise," Mary smiled at him. "Also, thank you, I heard you paid for my funeral."

"It was the least I could do," Bruce nodded. "Please go back to your son."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wayne, as much as I want to, I just can't, not yet," Mary smiled. "Batman, I'm glad I was able to meet you."

"We've both looked into the abyss, so tell me, Mary, will you blink?" he asked.

"Depends on how long I keep my eyes open," Mary smiled. She turned and saw that he was gone. "That's quite the trick, isn't it?"


End file.
